THQ is Unruffled by the GTA V Trailer

[The Wooster]

THQ is Unruffled by the GTA V Trailer

THQ doesn't think the recent Grand Theft Auto V trailer will affect Saints Row: The Third preorders at all.

Let's be honest with ourselves. Watching middle aged blokes in suits, representing multimillion-dollar companies, scream and flail their arms at each other like schoolchildren is really quite funny, undignified as it may be. Unfortunately for those hoping Rockstar's recent GTA V [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/113982-Trailer-Proves-Grand-Theft-Auto-V-Set-in-Los-Santos] trailer would reignite the Saints Row VS. Grand Theft Auto quarrel of yesteryear, THQ doesn't seem to be taking the bait. In fact, THQ CEO Brian Farrell had nothing but compliments for the trailer.

"I went online like everyone to see the GTA trailer," he responded, when asked if GTA V's trailer would have any effect on Saints Row: The Third [http://www.amazon.com/Saints-Row-Third-Playstation-3/dp/B004QEWVLC] preorders, during an investor Q&A session. "As you point out, it's a high quality trailer and I think it's going to be another fantastic game in the GTA series."

"That said, it also shows the completely different positioning of the two games," he continued. "GTA is still serious and character driven - a very different experience."

He's quite right, too. As of GTA IV, which made a radical departure from its predecessors in terms of tone, the two franchises have little in common. While GTA IV's more serious direction earned it an overwhelmingly positive critical reception, even outside of the usual gaming circles, it did leave fans of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas' wacky, jetpacking shenanigans out in the cold. THQ was more than happy to step in and fill the resulting void with the absolutely bananas Saints Row 2.

"It's a totally different positioning," Farrell said. "And if you read the forums it's like 'hey, I love GTA, and I love this game because it's a very different game that knows what it is and is very entertaining.'"

The plainly superior Saints Row: The Third arrives on 360, PS3 and PC on November 15th. No news on a release date for the obviously better Grand Theft Auto V as of yet.

Source: Eurogamer [http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-11-02-thq-not-worried-by-grand-theft-auto-5]

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[The Wooster]

THQ doesn't think the recent Grand Theft Auto V trailer will affect Saints Row: The Third preorders at all.

Well that is stating the obvious. Anybody who thinks that this GTA trailer would effect saints row 3 preorders or sales has to have brain damage. Why the hell would a trailer for a game that wont come out for atleast another eight months effect the sales of a game that comes out within a month?

Investors, they genuinely ask that kind of stuff.

 

[Assassinscreed548]

''No news on a release date for the obviously better Grand Theft Auto V as of yet. ''
That's rather badly worded. Don't get me wrong, I probably spent about 3 hours in total replaying the trailer yesterday, but i'm a fan of both games, and I don't think two completely different games should be compared by using such words as ''better'' or ''worse''. OP disappointed me, that little quote seemed a bit unprofessional. People should just get over comparing two things to one another, unless they are absolute clones, which Saint's Row to the GTA series is clearly not, as established through lengthy and unnecessary discussion on previous occasions.

 

[Plinglebob]

''No news on a release date for the obviously better Grand Theft Auto V as of yet. ''
That's rather badly worded. Don't get me wrong, I probably spent about 3 hours in total replaying the trailer yesterday, but i'm a fan of both games, and I don't think two completely different games should be compared by using such words as ''better'' or ''worse''. OP disappointed me, that little quote seemed a bit unprofessional. People should just get over comparing two things to one another, unless they are absolute clones, which Saint's Row to the GTA series is clearly not, as established through lengthy and unnecessary discussion on previous occasions.

I almost got caught out by that, but read the full sentence.

The plainly superior Saints Row: The Third arrives on 360, PS3 and PC on November 15th. No news on a release date for the obviously better Grand Theft Auto V as of yet.

Methinks someones sarcasm detector is broken.

Personally, I say GO SAINTS ROW 3!! (as long as you do a better PC port then last time).

 

[SenseOfTumour]

How nice to see the guys who are making the rather silly, over the top and some would say 'immature' sandbox crime game, being the ones to take the higher ground, commend their rivals on creating a quality product and going about their day.

In the end, if you've got something good, you don't need to trash talk everyone else who's even vaguely making something a bit like your product to sell it.

Quality sells, the only downside is huge piles of absolute shit sell too, if marketed the right way, for examples see everything Simon Cowell's had his cock in, and yes, I include Jedward in that statement.

Dammit, I so nearly managed to make a simple, polite statement that made sense, and then it all went to hell, as usual.

 

[Xahn]

''No news on a release date for the obviously better Grand Theft Auto V as of yet. ''
That's rather badly worded. Don't get me wrong, I probably spent about 3 hours in total replaying the trailer yesterday, but i'm a fan of both games, and I don't think two completely different games should be compared by using such words as ''better'' or ''worse''. OP disappointed me, that little quote seemed a bit unprofessional. People should just get over comparing two things to one another, unless they are absolute clones, which Saint's Row to the GTA series is clearly not, as established through lengthy and unnecessary discussion on previous occasions.

You missed the joke, the sentence starts with "The plainly superior Saints Row: The Third" and is basically saying the same thing you said, only funny.
*edit* ninjas beat me too it....

 

[SenseOfTumour]

It's strange, people generally don't compare Forza and Gran Turismo with Burnout and Flatout, in terms of what's 'better', yet two very different sandbox games constantly seem locked in a 'who wins' battle, even when the makers don't seem to give a damn!

 

[WanderingFool]

Shit... I will give both a shot (well, already pre-ordered SR3, but still). To say there is some similarities between them is like saying there is similarities between Call of Duty and Medal of Honor or Battlefield; yes, there is a bit of overlap, but they both offer different experiences.

 

[Jegsimmons]

Is THQ retarded? or are "experts" just blowing shit out there ass again?

seriously, they dont even come out 6 months from each other. why the fuck should it matter?

thats like saying halo 4 will effect the release of halo anniversary.

fucking people speaking nonsense because they have an audience, keep that on internet forums.

 

[go-10]

so I can play SR3 now, or wait until holiday 2012 to play GTA5... decisions, decisions

 

[Kielgasten]

THQ doesn't think the recent Grand Theft Auto V trailer will affect Saints Row: The Third preorders at all.

Well that is stating the obvious. Anybody who thinks that this GTA trailer would effect saints row 3 preorders or sales has to have brain damage. Why the hell would a trailer for a game that wont come out for atleast another eight months effect the sales of a game that comes out within a month?

Investors, they genuinely ask that kind of stuff.

Wow!
Investors need to go and take a timeout.

Incidentally, if they consider this line of questioning appropriate, then why would they take Brian Farrell´s word for it?
It seems like one of those scenarios where everything is just given from the start, and people goes mindlessly through the motion...

 

[GonzoGamer]

Thanks for reminding me I have to pre-order SR3.
I don't usually pre-order games but I got a hell of a lot of play out of SR2 and I want that Genki stuff.

GTAV looks like it's going to be exactly like gta4 (just with a different accent and a different city) so I don't think it will fill the same role that gta now plays. Not only that, who is really going to not get SR3 because they'd rather wait who knows how long for gtav?

 

[similar.squirrel]

This reminds me of how rushed and godawful Prototype turned out to be because they were trying to release it alongside inFamous. That still pisses me off.

 

[putowtin]

Looks pretty but if I'm not throwing old ladies into jet engines to turn her into confetti, I'm not interested!

 

[Sucal]

This reminds me of how rushed and godawful Prototype turned out to be because they were trying to release it alongside inFamous. That still pisses me off.

I'm gonna have to disagree with you there. I found Prototype to be far superior to Infamous, not to mention a game that's just plain fun in general. Not only that these two situations have almost nothing in common.

Last time I checked, Prototype didn't start out as a series of cheerful sociopathy before going dark and gritty. Nor does infamous allow you to spike enemies with a pink dildo shaped lightening bolt. Once either of them go down those routes THEN we can complain and talk about how prototype and Infamous can be compared to this situation.

Honestly though, I'm not sure that this Article really needs to exist. Why exactly would the Saints Row developer be scared or Ruffled by a mere Trailer of a game that was only just confirmed, when their product is about to hit shelves? I mean it would be like asking the fable 2 team whether or not they though Skyrm would lead to a sharp decrease in sales.

 

[Blunderboy]

THQ doesn't think the recent Grand Theft Auto V trailer will affect Saints Row: The Third preorders at all.

Well that is stating the obvious. Anybody who thinks that this GTA trailer would effect saints row 3 preorders or sales has to have brain damage. Why the hell would a trailer for a game that wont come out for atleast another eight months effect the sales of a game that comes out within a month?

Investors, they genuinely ask that kind of stuff.

Investors are pretty damn crazy then. They do realize that consumers are capable of liking two similar products don't they?
Hell, as you pointed out, these two aren?t even that similar anyway, at least not in terms of tone.
Plus, given the time difference in terms of release dates, it?s amazing they would raise that question.

 

[Something Amyss]

''No news on a release date for the obviously better Grand Theft Auto V as of yet. ''
That's rather badly worded. Don't get me wrong, I probably spent about 3 hours in total replaying the trailer yesterday, but i'm a fan of both games, and I don't think two completely different games should be compared by using such words as ''better'' or ''worse''. OP disappointed me, that little quote seemed a bit unprofessional. People should just get over comparing two things to one another, unless they are absolute clones, which Saint's Row to the GTA series is clearly not, as established through lengthy and unnecessary discussion on previous occasions.

The article called one clearly superior and the other obviously better.

What kills me is you had to read past the one you didn't address to get to the one you did.

In short, it's a joke.

It's strange, people generally don't compare Forza and Gran Turismo with Burnout and Flatout, in terms of what's 'better', yet two very different sandbox games constantly seem locked in a 'who wins' battle, even when the makers don't seem to give a damn!

I really don't think there's as much a difference between the GTA series and the SR as there is between GT and Flatout.

As for the fanboys wars, those are probably unavoidable, so....

This reminds me of how rushed and godawful Prototype turned out to be because they were trying to release it alongside inFamous. That still pisses me off.

Of course, GTV isn't being rushed to compete with Saints Row 3. I'm not sure what the part that reminds you of it is. The trailer's timing might be considered suspect, but even that's not a given.

 

[Vivace-Vivian]

GTA became dead to me after about an hour in to Saints Row 2. Not that the games are bad, they're just not fun to me. I don't enjoy them the way I do Saints Row. Though Vice City and San Andreas will always have a special place in my heart, I doubt I'll ever go back. I want fun. Not GTA.

 

[Squilookle]

Watching middle aged blokes in suits, representing multimillion-dollar companies, scream and flail their arms at each other like schoolchildren is really quite funny, undignified as it may be.

Not when you realise it is affecting the quality, production, and entire design ethic of games you're waiting for.

As for the reaction- Brian Farrel is a star. There's nothing wrong with complimenting the competition on what they do well- I'd be the first to vote for whichever politician actually had the cojones to do it to a rival. Brian's acknowledgement of GTA while level headedly pointing out the very clear difference of directions the series is taking is the best answer anyone could give. I have nothing but respct for the guy for such comments.

I have also now decided to buy Saints Row the Third. And unless GTA V makes it clear soon that San Fierro and Las Venturas are also returning while GTA IV's car handling isn't, then I don't think I'll be getting GTAV.